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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fall — the season
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — in football
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com